Erik ten Hag rallied Manchester United players ahead of the FA Cup final by showing them a spine-tingling motivational speech message featuring an iconic actor, according to reports.
The Manchester United manager oversaw a mixed season at Old Trafford, which included the Red Devils falling well short of the Premier League top four.
Erik ten Hag’s side limped to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League table and failed to secure Champions League football for next season.
However, United fortunately salvaged their 2023-24 campaign by producing a sensational performance in the FA Cup final against Manchester City.
The Red Devils outclassed the defending Premier League champions at Wembley in May and avenged their 2023 FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City.
Ten Hag’s future at United was shrouded in mystery ahead of the FA Cup final win last month, with some reports claiming he would be sacked irrespective of the result.
Ten Hag’s message to Man Utd players
According to The Athletic, Erik ten Hag sent a clear-cut message to Manchester United players the afternoon before the FA Cup final at Wembley.
The Dutchman had shown United players ‘an edit’ featuring footage from the 1999 sports film Any Given Sunday, which features Al Pacino.
Al Pacino plays fictional Miami Sharks coach Tony D’Amato in the Oliver Stone-directed film and the Oscar winner delivered a famous speech as the character.
The Scarface and The Godfather actor, as Tony D’Amato in the film, called for his Miami Sharks players to “heal as a team” rather than “dying as individuals.”
The Athletic reports that Ten Hag used footage of Pacino’s voiceover and combined it with U2’s acclaimed 1992 track ‘One’ and footage of his United players in action.
An unnamed and ‘well-placed source’ told the publication: “Erik never hid during the season, not once.”
Ahead of the final team meeting on Saturday before the FA Cup final, Ten Hag motivated his players further with a story from a United staff member in a video.
The female United staff member was part of the club’s security team and had previously been in the British military, according to The Athletic.
Ten Hag was believed to have been ‘moved’ by her story after she became trapped in a village with her platoon while serving in the armed forces.
The video of the staff member’s story was ‘interspersed’ with United players ‘winning individual duels,’ with Ten Hag keen to stress that they could ‘overcome the odds.’
Ten Hag completed ‘bucket list’ moment
Following the FA Cup final in May, Ten Hag admitted that winning the cup competition with United was on his “bucket list.”
“It is always best to end on a high and then you have the whole summer to enjoy,” he said after the match.
“We have players in the squad with high potential and we are progressing. The FA Cup was a trophy on my bucket list.
“It is a huge trophy and I am so happy that we won this with the players, team and staff. It was a real team performance.
“I really enjoyed this final, you saw all the work we put in together. I am so happy with the young players.
“Kobbie Mainoo had a big setback when he got injured in pre-season. But they have the potential to meet the demands of top football.”
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